Needle for tufting machines



Mar. 27, 1923.

W. B. MATHEWSON. NEEDLE FOR TUFTING MACHINES.

HLED JUNE 1, 1920.

\nvenTor.

. S V o A WW \n M d e H W Patented Mar. 27, 1923.

UNlTED STATES WILERED B. MATHEWSON, OF NORTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS.

NEEDLE FOE TUFTING MACHINES.

Application filed June 1, 1920.

T0 aZl 10/1011 it may concern Be it known that I, lVILrnnn B. MATHEW-soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Weymouth, countyof Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inNeedles for Tufting Machines, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to needles such as are used in machines forsewing and it has for its object to provide an improved needle which isconstructed so that the operation of threading it is greatlyfacilitated.

My improved'needle is adapted for use in various kinds of machines whereit is. necessary to perform a sewing operation, but it is particularlyapplicable to needles that are provided with a central thread-receivingbore leading to the eye and through which the thread is passed. Asillustrative of one machine employing a needle of this type, I

would refer to a tufting machine for tufting mattresses and the like,but I wish it distinctly understood thatthe invention is not limited toa needle for a tufting machine, but may be embodied in needles employedin va rious other types of sewing machines.

' In order to give an understanding of the invention, I have chosen inthe drawings to illustrate it as it would be employed in a needle for atufting machine.

Fig. l is a sectional view of a portion of a tufting machine showing themanner in which the needle is mounted;

Fig. 2 a longitudinal sectional view through the needle on the line 2-2,Fig. 3, said figure showing the manner in which the needle is threaded;

- Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the needle;

F 4 is an enlarged section on theline 44, Fig. 2.

Inasmuch as the invention relates entirely to the needle I have notthought it necessary .to illustrate herein a complete tufting ma,-

chine. but have only shown a-sufiicientportion thereof to enable theinvention to be understood.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of a mattress tobe'tufted, 2 represents the lower compressor or support on which themattress rests, and 3 represents the upper compressor which isvertically movable in'the head'portion 4 of the frame and'wh'ich byitsdownward movement 00- Seiial No. 385,396.

operates with the lower compressor 2 to compress the mattress at thepoint where the tuft is to be inserted.

In tufting the mattress, the tufts which are indicated at 5 are tied inplace by means of tufting twine 6, the latter being manipulated by atufting needle '7 which is carried in a vertically-movable needle-bar 8and adapted to penetrate the mattress l, and also by a suitable knottingmechanism (not shown) associated with the lower compressor 2 and whichserves to form suitable knots in and to fasten the tufting twine 6 as itis inserted through the mattress.

For a more complete description of the construction and operation of thetufting machine as a whole, reference maybe hadto United StatesPatentNo. 819,954, dated May 8, 1906.

The present invention relates simply to the needle 7, and as statedabove, it has for its principal object to provide a novel constructionof needleby which the operation of threading the needle is greatlyfacilitated.

The tufting needle which is usually employed is an eye-pointed needle,that is, it

twine-receiving bore extending longitudi-v nally of the needle, and theoperation of threading the needle has involvedinserting one end of thetwine into the bore at the upper end of the needle and forcing the twinedown through the bore to the eye. If the twine is of a soft nature thisis a rather difficult and tedious operation, because the lack ofstiffness in the twine permits it to bunch up and clog the bore. Inorder to prevent this and to facilitate the threading operation, 1 formmy improved needle with a slot extending longitudinally thereof whichcommunicates throughout its length with the bore 10, but which isnarrower than-the normal diameter of the twine 6. Said slot ispreferably,constructed so that each side of the slot at the mouththereof presents relatively sharp edges that are directed toward eachother. The upper end of the slot is of a width to freely, admit thetwine and from this wide upper end the slot has aprogressively-decreasing width to that of the body of the. slot, Inthreading up the needle it is simply necessary to enter the twine'intothe upper end of the'bore and draw'it into the upper end of the slot,after which a pull on the twine in the direction of the point of theneedle will draw it longitudinally of the slot and into the borethroughout the entire present threading the through the aperture 13 from.the non-slotted length thereof. t

The needle herein shown has at its upper end a transverse opening 13which communicates with the borelO, and from this opening to theeye 9,the needle is provided with theslot 14: which communicates with the borebut which is'narrower than the diameter of the twine 6. The slot isformed to the relatively sharp edges 15 at'the mouth thereof which aredirected towards each other. The upper end 16 of the slot opposite thetransverse aperture 13 is of a width to freely receive the twine 6, andat the lower end opposite the eye 9 the slot is also of a similarwidth,-as shown at 17. In needle,-the twine 6 is inserted side of theneedle to the slotted side, so that W aperture on the the-end of thetwine projects through the slotted side, as shown at 18 in dotted lines.This end of the twine is then drawn downwardly toward the point of theneedle thereby drawing the twine into the slot 1 1, as indicated in fulllines, Fig. 2.

- Owing to the fact that the slot is of less width than the diameter ofthe twine 6 and is provided with the relatively sharp edges 1,5 whichare directed towards each other,

said edges will bite into the twine 6 as the latter. enters the slot, asshown in'Fig. 4:, thus making it diflicult to pull the twine vtransversely"through the slot. Hence any pulling on the twine in thegeneral direction of the arrow at in Fig. 2 will simply draw the twinedown theslot 1 1, thus drawing it into the bore 10. When the twine hasbeen drawn clear to the enlarged .portion the'bore' throughout itsentire length.

threading. of'the needle is then completed 17 of the slot, said twinewill he occupying The by inserting the end of the twine through the eye9, as indicated in dotted lines Fig. 2.

'Owingto the fact that the slot is of less width than the diameter ofthe twine, there is no danger that the needle will become decause withmy invention a long needle can name to this specification-- be threadedwith just as much facility as a. short needle.

The needle is preferably inserted into the needle-bar so that. the slotis situated on the front side ofthe needle. In the construction hereinshown the needle bar is jointed, it' having the main section 19 to whichis pivotally mounted the section 8 to which the needle is secured. Thetwine passes from the source of supply longitudinally of the needle-barsection 19 and under a suitable tension 20 and thence through a diago-'nal aperture 21 formed in the needle bar section 8, thence alongtheback side of said needle bar, section 8 to the aperture 13, and throughthe aperture 13 into the bore of the needle, and thence tothe eye 9thereof.v

The provision of the pivotally-mounted needle bar section 8 is ofadvantage because it facilitates the threading of the needle in themachine. If the twine breaks it is sim ply necessary to swing the,needle bar section 8 upwardly, as shown by dotted lines, thereby placingthe needle/in such position that the operator can readily insert thetwine through the aperture 13 from the back side of the needle, thenpull the twine longitudinally of the needle to draw it into the bore,and then insert the twine through the eye 9. The needle-bar section 8 isheld in its opera-- tive position hy'means of a spring-pressed retainingmember 22.

In the above description I have referred to the thread which the needlecontrols as tufting twine because in the art of tufting mattresses suchthread is usually referred to as twine. The character of the thread,however, is not important so far as the invention is concerned. Asstatedabove, the invention is also applicable to needles which are to he usedwith sewing machines other than tufting machines, and, therefore, I donot wish to be limited to a tufting machine in the use of the invention.In other sewing machine adapted for uses other than tufting mattresses,the thread whichis used may not be in the nature'of twine,'hut will hethread of some other character.-

I claim: A. needle for sewing machines comprising a pointed bodyprovided at its pointed end with an eye and having a centralthreadreceivingbore leading to but terminating at said body also havinga slot eXtendmg longitudinally thereof and throughout the eye,

the length ofthe bore said slot communicatiug with the bore and having aprogressively decreasing width from the bore to the peripbery' of the topresent relatively sharp edges at the mouth of the slot which aredirected toward 7 each other. 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my WILFRED n- MA'rinnwsoN.

body, the-body being shaped

